It's Official: No Known Risk For Using Mobile Phone While Filling Up

from the not-a-one dept

A few weeks back, we noted how odd it was that a state senator was trying to ban mobile phones at the gas station pump based on what appeared to be an urban legend about exploding pumps. Lots of folks in the comments pointed to the show Mythbusters that tried (very hard) to use a mobile phone to make gasoline vapors to explode and found it wasn't possible. Now there's a bit more evidence that you probably don't need to worry. A researcher in the UK has been studying the matter and can find no evidence that any gas station fire in the past eleven years around the world was caused by a mobile phone. Certainly makes the senator's comments that "it is a known, documented fact that using a cell phone in proximity of the gas pump can cause an electrical charge that can cause a fire that can ignite the pump" seem a bit odd. Apparently she should recheck her documented facts.

prayer at gas stations

Prayer at gas stations has been linked to spontaneous sparks causing explosions and mass death. The power of God generates an static charge as it enters the recipient. Hopefully, legislation will ensue banning this practice. I think that this is a perfect fit for the current Congress...

congresswoman=facts

Please do not use the above two words in any one sentence. Or congressman/facts. Or logical, or effective, or conscious, ethical, etc. Greed, avarice, egomania, power-hungry, etc. can be freely combined in any sentence regarding the 'representatives' of said adjectives.